Singapore has just hosted the World Cities Summit. It would have been a wonderful opportunity to showcase our previously lauded world class transport system, except that it had lost is lustre in recent years due to inadequate new infrastructure to meet the large increase in population.
Like many other large cities, Singapore roads are congested with private cars and other types of traffic. We also face inadequate parking space for the private cars at the homes and workplaces. Instead of building more roads, commuter lines and parking lots, we have to find innovative ways to deal with the universal challenge of moving people to work and back home.
I suggest that new towns be developed as a large car free zone. Commuting within the town should be by public transport in the form of feeder buses, taxis, shared cars and shared bicycles. The local transport will move the people to the train station, bus interchange, town center or the fringe car parks. Private cars can be used from the fringe car parks to travel on the highways to other parts of the city that are still dependent on private transport.
The new towns should be planned with the aim of encouraging people to live, work and study in the same town and avoid the need to commute long distances. The cost of buying and selling properties should be reduced, e.g. by removing the stamp duty, to encourage people to move to a new home that is close to their place of work.
This will lead to sustainable cities and a better quality of life. Perhaps when Singapore hosts the World Cities Summit again in the future, we will have a good showcase.
Tan Kin Lian
Kin Lian, I notice you open your blog during breakfast, lunch and dinner time, even while you are travelling. A very consistent pattern even in your retired lifestyle. I guess you keep yourself active in mind and body that way. Interesting to learn from you.
ReplyDeleteI believe the govt is now more interested in figuring out how to revamp its existing ERP and find new ways to charge motorist more toll by way by GPS. It is not a matter if, but a matter of when.
ReplyDeleteIt is perhaps more impressive to show to the world how the Spore govt milk more money out and amazes the world how obedient Singaporeans are in adapting to their policies
There will be no escape for motorists in future. The moment you hit the road, you pay the toll. There is no need to think about which route to take so as to avoid ERP gantries. On a positive note, we can finally get rid those ugly ERP gantries. I think Jack Neo Money Not Enough movie came true afterall, the ERP gantries will be eliminated but not by the people throwing it out into the sea
i think developing large car free zone, more frequent and spacious feeder bus services will have to take a backseat for now
Jerome
Perhaps, the planners only think with the mindset of the whole of Singapore as a city; rather than making up of several cities or towns.
ReplyDeleteAnd as usual, Singapore likes to make things "complicated" as a way to "control the people", while using "money" as a mean of control; which is commonly seen as the root to all evils. Removing stamp duty as suggested by Mr Tan ??? No way!
Hence, the rich are never angered while the average person always fell enslaved monetarily.
And corporate leaders like the CEO of SMRT could easily say it is up to the public whether they want to squeeze into the MRT trains or not during peak hours.
Probem solving is also not proactive and aimed at the "upstream" issues but stay on "corrective" mode ... and now the easy-out mindset taken by our Govt leaders ... the public must feedback and they are responsible.
The only proactive strategy lauded is the infamous "pre-emptive retrenchment" of workers over 40s to support CPF cuts and wage restraints.
Even "sustianable" water supply was corrective and mooted by M'sia's threatening to cut fresh water supply.
I think that in future, all cars will be fitted with GPS or some sort of Electronic Road Usage system, whereby the moment you leave home, you're taxed on mileage cum usage.
ReplyDeleteTry finding a Free Parking space along some private housing estate along the roadside and chances you'll meet with Double YellowLines these days........it will be too expensive to own a car in Singapore.
I've given up car ownership 3 yrs. ago but only to find 'cultural shock'in all our over crowded public transport system.
If they are thinking of charging by distance, just up the petrol tax. No need to invest in all the expensive technologies.
ReplyDeleteKin Lian, by the way, can you explain to us lay men why the electricity tariff is up? Singapore uses gas to fire the power plants but we keep using oil to charge the customers. It is like using the water tariff to charge motorists for petrol they consumed. Totally irrelevant but may be u can enlighten the logic if you are aware of it.
Very interesting to note about a participant's comment that Singapore's low birth rate have something to do with a congested city environment here, leading to a
ReplyDeletedisincentive or disinclination for people to have children.
No hope lah, Govt still have to rely on new immigrants to fill up the shortfall of babies.
Why Tax the Taxed???
ReplyDeleteI'm a retiree and a laymen but can't understand the PUB bill on taxation.
Briefly,my water consumption usage for the month of June is $24.57 and the standard Water Consevation Tax is 30%, works out to be $7.37
So the 30% Tax on $24.57 = $7.37
Now why do we have to pay 7% GST tax on the Water Conservation Tax
so 7% on $7,37 = approx. 51 cents
Is it a Fair system?
Go scrutinise your Bills
July 01, 2010 1:04 PM
ReplyDeletelOl, Tax on Tax, Tax increase pay more tax!
To Anon July 01, 2010 11:24 AM
ReplyDeleteU are right, but Singapore only believes in a complex system. So the Transport Minister can prove his worth ... if not how to hand out millions of taxpayers' $ as salaries to Ministers and also create jobs for foreign consultants and then contractors. Most likely GLC will also benefit from this exercise.
They are being fair because petrol has other uses.
As to your question to Mr Tan...you can still read a copy of my letter to Today, and others; still stuck in this website ...
http://www.spug.sg/forums/showthread.php?56048-Oil-Prices-Electricity-Bill-How-related-are-they
They say gas contracts are pegged to oil prices ... and "forward" contracts.
We live in a TAX world.
ReplyDeleteThe name TAXI = TAX I
What is the problem in Singapore?
ReplyDelete1. Tax and Tax. Taxing a problem out of existence is never a solution, much less a sustainable one. Unfortunately, the government does not realize or simply ignores its folly.
2. There is no fiscal discipline. Taxes raised in transport (Car taxes, COEs, fuel taxes, ERP, other miscellany) are not all re-invested to improve the transport system. In the US, this is explicitly forbidden to ensure that every tax is for a stated purpose. The US fails in many ways but this is not one of them.
2. Improvements are made too late. For example, the demand for widening of the CTE goes back more than a decade. The historical excuse is that it cannot be done. LTA should be completing the IMPOSSIBLE some time this year.
3. Infrastructure development are uncoordinated. E.g., new townships in the north-east have been poorly served due to a lack of additional North-South corridors until the completion of the KPE.
4. Lack of forward thinking. E.g. The ERP/Cashcard system is unscalable and it should be known from day one (i.e. 1998), not now. A waste of national resource.
5. Work in progress. We need to decide if we really want to be train-based and work at it. We are not yet comparable with cities in Japan and Hong Kong.
6. Lost opportunities. As Singapore's transport problems are not unique, we have lost many opportunities to develop solutions for ourselves and others, e.g. intelligent systems to overcome congestion. We cannot make it if the government quibble with things like LTA data being used for a free public service by an enterprising programmer.
Singapore has always.. tried to prime, and prided itself to be ahead of HK in almost everything, and to lay claim that they are better, one up.. haha..
ReplyDeletePerhaps they should take a leaf from HK on their efficient transport system, where with a combination of MTR, LRT (Light Rail), Buses, Mini-buses, Taxi's, there appear to be not that much of a problem in moving the masses, as appears to e in Singapore with the SMRT CEO claiming? what a joke? that the trains are not overpacked, with trains arriving at 3 - 4.5 mins interval (correct me if this is incorrect) at peak hour? She must be joking. In HK at peak hours, the train is arriving in 1 min intervals, and one is usually able to get on the next train if the current one is pakced. Singapore is way behind.
The roads are also not as congested and the highways not a moving carpark during peak hour, unless there is some accident.
What is the transport minister doing? What is the CEO of SMRT doing... just talking? with no action... lpushing away the responsibiltiy.., look at HK and compare how pitiful the transport system in Singapore is. The public transport in HK is so convenient, that most people prefer not to drive, and is not as JAMMED packed as the MTR in Singapore.
What you have suggested... feeder services... I believe the main problem is that the transport system in Singapore is government monopolised, so there is no pressure to improve, just give crap excuses for the failings.. I wonder what the KPIs of SMRT are and probably customer complaints or feddback is not one of them. In HK, if they are not competitive, they will be out business. The taxi's give a discount for advanced booking in HK, but in Singapore there are additional charges. What does this tells you.
So what are these million dollar salaried minister and overpaid? CEO ofSMRT doing? they should get their assess off and learn from HK on how to improve the public transport system for a change instead of spewing out grabage and treating Singaporeans like "morons" - one has the choice to borad the trains? hahaha.
We are already living in a Rat Race here and when one takes SMRT
ReplyDeleteeveryday, it's like So Many Rats Today or Tomorrow.
I now avoid the overcrowded Trains and take a cool cool 1hr. journey ride to town by Aircon bus.(where is the productivity drive to excel? probably have a 1hr. nap in the bus)Am Not complaining but going back to basics of taking a slow boat to China!
These top policy makers must see HongKong with open their big eye.We mustletthem know our un happiness regarding our transport system.
ReplyDeleteAdd on other alternative transportation,eg: Mini bus,ferry,peak hour 1 min per MRT train.
These top policy makers claim tax payer with salary in the million of dollars,Why they can not think forward ???????????????????????????
Angry Citizen.
Why don't they help charity on Tax on Tax money? Practically every weekend you'll see students engaged in some sort of Charity Drive at most MRT stations
ReplyDelete